Old Style date: April 27. On this day, the Russian Orthodox Church honors Simeon the Relative of the Lord — the holy martyr, one of the seventy apostles. He preached Christ's teachings, guided in the truths of the holy faith, and denounced idolatry. After the killing of the holy apostle James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, Simeon was elected in his place. During the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117), a persecutor of Christians, pagans captured Saint Simeon, who was by then a centenarian and, after enduring long suffering, was crucified. Simeon received his nickname because plowing had already begun throughout Russia. For the northern and central regions, it was considered early. "Plow early — good harvests," people said. But rushing to sow was also not advisable. Wheat was to be sown only in warm weather — and into warm soil. To understand whether the soil was ready to receive the seed, people would place both hands on the ground and check how much it had warmed up. It was also said that it was time to plow when the forest dressed in leaves. With plowing, many Russian peasant proverbs and sayings were associated. Among them: "Do not be lazy with the plow — you will be with a pie"; "Holy God does not help with plowing"; "We will eat and dance — only after we plow the field"; "Plow deeper — chew more bread." There were also special omens. For example, in the southern Russian regions, it was forbidden to sing before starting to plow, and singing near the fields was even considered a sin. Name days on this day: Anastasia, George, Ivan, Hilarion, Maria, Nicholas, Paul, Peter, Semen, Sergei, Stephen